China is demanding Taiwan rescind its recent order banning journalists from two Chinese news organizations from reporting from the island.

Both the People's Daily newspaper and the official Xinhua news agency are protesting the action. Xinhua said the ban does nothing to improve journalistic exchanges across the Taiwan straits.

Taiwan's Chairman of Mainland Affairs Council Joseph Wu announced the temporary ban Sunday, saying it is part of an overall review of exchanges with China, which regards Taiwan as a breakaway province.

Journalists from the mainland had been barred from Taiwan for more than five decades until late 2000, when Taiwan issued a limited number of permits to Chinese reporters.